Highway guard structure bracket



N. GREENWELL HIGHWAY GUARD STRUCTURE BRACKET Aug. 8, 1950 filed March16, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l N. GREENWELL HIGHWAY GUARD STRUCTURE BRACKETAug. 8, 1950 Filed Mardh 1a, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fi'reanwell.

Patented Aug. 8 1950 ,-2,5is,o94 v HIGHWAY GUARD STEUQTUEEQBRAQKETLfNflVil Greenwell, .Bethlehenj 11a assign!!! :to

Bethlehem Steel Pennsylvania -'Application"March" 16,

' :9 fllaims.

. :My invention relates'to improvementsdn, guard sastructuresior-ihighwayseandz especially to hrackets:eforrresiliently*supporting'athe guardtwith respect totithe.rsupports.

: iOne objectsof :my: inventiloncisuto: provide:1im-.

'nproved sbrackets :Jfor =::a highway :guard tstructure i'xwhich EWilleffectivelyrresist .impactsntransmitted to the guard structure by*travellingwehicleszcomning' intozcontactmithr-the guard: structure soas to qmpany, ,a tcorporation 59f 1945, Serial masseuserprevent=.,the=vehic1es -fromlleavingAthehighway,r;--'snortionzifl,zzrespectively, ri fifi v rse yurve wandwhichuat the .same:time will-aeffectivelyabsorb :tthetshock transmitted:by such rvehicle to (the "guard cstructure :so :that .Ithe vehiclevwillreceive :rno .asubstantial :'damage' upon :impact with 513118 b Anotherobject 10f :my :Linvention :is 1 to :provide improved bracketsintermediate the.guard:-and tthe ssuppo'rits zwhich'zwill effectivelyzsupport the sguardiine spaced-rrelation zito thezsupportsatall atimesrI 'rfI h'e r-novel :features 40f my invention will be more i'fiullyczunderstood from the following r description and claims gtakentwiththe: accompanyringsdrawings :in' which Figure 1 issa top aplanzsview ora a section-of a highway =guard structure embodying one form of anyinvention. v

-."*Fig.. 2 is'a ideiview' inelevation fthe strucure shown in Fig. 1. f'-?Fig. 3.2vi's an:enlargedxsectional view t eZIiIIBZ 3- 3 OIIFiQ. 5. 1EEig: 4 1s a' top plan -view:of the bracketishown Jim-Fig, initsdeformed condition.

Fig. 5 is a side view in elevation df thezstruc- -:dauresl'iown -iri= Iig.;-"3. ,'".Fig.=:'6 is antopnplamviewxof a 'bracket embodylfigfi'lvisarear view in elevation of thebracket iaShown' in Figi-afi.

t. 1 Referring to the 'drawings, particularly-Fig.

akenron 1 copeninga'fitis providedaimthel a'fsspr n por i ETDOIZtiQI SLCIHP S g 0 shap .i o ti :3-5 Candi-36 'i'and;arcuatemortionsffil find-38, respectively. iopeningi 3911s: provided in:.the-leaf;spring=,portions .;j:2fi :and 21 :forj:receivir g the bolt :20 to:secure nprthezbracketz la8x-ctozthe support 16. while the posthengaging:ieafzispring portions are shown weldedttogethenanyotgher,connectingrmeans may; be. usedatoaconnectatheseaportions;rwithoutizdepartingfrom"rin!e1SCOPflDfIHlYiIiHVGIIfiOH. 31

fi heribracketew :shown gin: Figs: 6 ,=.and;7 isesim-i --d ar dzofthebracketdisc1osed::in;-Figs. 3, 4;.and:,5. The bracket 40 comprisessupportnorzposttengagingi leaf aispring :portions 5.4l and 4,2 which Lare zushow'n uriitedxby acweld2z423 and which-have .;lips 44 deflectedinwardly thereof which providerporrtions v=.r:1iverg-ing "outwardly:toward "the tend .por- -:tio ns 1415 sand r46,:;respec.tively, :-.aninverted QU- ishaped vguard cengaging x-portion :41, comprising-.:1egs::4;8:;and 4.9,: reverse1y curvedrgpnrtions :-;and 1511aintermediatemthe leg 2143 and the end zportion-v45candeintermediatezthe-leg;549rand'athe end por- 1131011 5:46;,-respectivelmz thesez-reversely -;.curvedgvporftions comprisingx'Crshaped 4 portions 52 and {153 band" arcuatemortions 54 134116.555;respectively 4| and 42 for receiving the bolt ,Zfictmsecur thebbracketqflflatothe Supports. statedzwith. refer- ;ence to theabracket;[B the support engagingdeaf .isprm portions awhile QshoWn tweldedtogether, :'may;bei0ined=;inany; suitab1e.manner.

zInoperationi-xwhen; a;-vehi,c1e comes; into; contact'aiwithl'considerable force-:iwith :the guardcable sor iCfiLblGSJlILlihfi; U eshapedrportion 341 nor; the gnard cable r bracket 2| 8 willmove :inwardly :aintil vthe thexguardicablesll are anchored. Thebrackets shown in Figs. 1 and 2, an enlarged view of one of which isshownin'Figs.-3, 4=arid 5 are shown ecomiwte t eupp rt ib ,mc nsio b l2.31; and :38, Arrespectively,@contact :the:,leaf:.:spring-;portions2.6:and ,21,:z-respectively,gastshownzinz full dines; mime-.14sand zduezi to n; the inclination iofithe ile'aifispringrportionsz-fizandzzzl the conti-nuediforce and the guards I! are shownislidablconnected rzoitransmittedto the Ueshaped'portiomM=will cause to thebrackets] 8 bymeanscofcthe clips 2 I, which, while shown" in these"figures as having their lower ends 22 inserted in slots 23 inthebrackets It and their upper end secured: to the "bracket" l 8rtheseiarcuate portions 31': andazw :ito :movecdown'z-theseginclinations: in opposite direction fiandswill.umoveathezlegsialrand4232,xrespectively outwardly 'tharespectttoeach:sothemaszshown sin (dotted the bolts and nuts- 24, may-be connectedto r55 linestin i Eig.a4. rDuring the initial movementrof fathe bracketsl8-i-nany -well known manner. The

'ggguards H, #as shown, comprise cables which are preferably slidabl-ymounted' i-n loops fi-prov-ided in the clips 2|.

rthe a-U eshape'd uportion 30 inwardl stewards the ie'a'fspring:portions 2l3 andzl, the C shape'd; por- -tions 35and fli,respectively;-will have a tentlency to coil towards each other inabsorbing the im- Referring particularly to Figs; 3, 4 and 5, the pactof the vehicle with the guard cable [1 but upon contact of the arcuateportions 31 and 38, respectively, with the leaf spring portions 26 and21, the arcuate portions 31 and 38, respectively, will have a tendencyto uncoil away from each other due to the movement of the legs 3| and 32away from each other, during the further deflection of the bracket. Theprovision of means for deflecting the legs of the bracket after partialdeformation thereof is an important feature of this invention as itprovides a bracket which throughout its operation effectively absorbsthe shock imparted to the guard cable 11 upon the impact of the vehicletherewith.

The operation of the bracket 40 shown in Figs. 6 and 7 is substantiallythe same as the operation of the bracket 18, except that under impactthe U-shaped portion 41 of the bracket will move inwardly until the endof the legs 48 and 49 or arcuate portions 54 and 55, respectively,contact the lips 44, and due to the inclination of these lip 44 thecontinued force transmitted to the U-shaped portion 47 will cause thearcuate portion 54 and 55 to move down the inclined lips 44 away fromeach other and thereby move the .said U-shaped portion to constitutecamming legs 48' and 49 outwardly with respect to each other, and theaction of the C-shaped and arcuate portions therefore will be the sameas the similar portions of the bracket 18, as shown in Fig. 4.

While I have shown my invention in a plurality of forms it will beobvious to those skilled in the;

art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various otherchanges and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof, andI desire therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereuponas are imposed by the prion, art or as are specifically set forth in theappended claims.

1 I Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A bracket for a highway guard structure comprising a leaf springsupport engaging portion, a U-shaped guard engaging portion and arcuateportions intermediate the support engaging portion and the U-shapedportion, said:

arcuate portions having their outer ends connect'ed to the supportengaging portion and their inner ends extending inwardly towards saidsupport engaging portion but terminating in spaced relation thereto andconnected to the guard enaging portion.

a cooperation with said support engaging portion to deflect the leg ofsaid U-shaped portion out-.T

wardly during the inward movement of said U-shaped portion towards saidsupport, and resilient -c-shaped portions intermediate the U-shapedportion and the leaf spring portion.

3. A resilient bracket for a highway guard structure comprising aninverted U-shaped guard engaging portion having substantially parallellegs, a leaf spring portion comprising a support engaging portion and apair of inwardly extending portions, said inwardly extending portions 701,680,548 being connected to said legs, respectively, and in cooperationwith said support engaging portion to deflect the legs of said U-shapedportion outsurfaces and deformable arcuate portions connecting saidU-shaped portion and said leaf spring portions.

5. A highway guard bracket comprising a base portion, a pair of leafsprings connected to the base portion and having their respective outerends extending inwardly towards the base portion but terminatinginspaced relation thereto, and a pair of legs joined together at one oftheir ends and connected at their opposite ends to said outer endsrespectively.

6. A highway guard bracket comprising a base portion having a pair ofcamming surfaces. -a pair of leaf springs connected to the base portionsand having their outer ends disposed in opposite relation to saidcamming surfaces respectively, and a pair of legs joined together attheir outer ends and connected at their inner ends to said outer ends ofsaidleaf spring respectively. l

7. A highway guard bracket comprising a base portion having a pair ofcamming surfaces, a pair of C-shaped leaf springs connected to the baseportions and having their outer ends disposed in opposite relation tosaid camming surfaces respectively, and a pair of legs connected at oneof their ends and connected at their other ends to said outer endsrespectively.

8. A bracket for a guard rail and the Iikecomprising a support engagingelement, a rail supporting portion in spaced relation to said element,said rail supporting portion; comprising legs integral therewith andextending toward said element, and oppositely disposed spring membersextending outwardly from the ends of said legs andinwardly to connectsaidylegsto said element.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS record in the Number Name I DateRe. 21,715 Ahles Feb. 18, 1941 Keiser Aug. 14, 1928 1,793,674 Cam Feb.24, 1931 1,988,995 Camp Jan. 22, 1935 2,317,249

Brickman Apr. 20, 1943

